Designing safer living environments support for local government

Abstract

This paper addresses the built environment, the opportunities it presents for crime and the role city planners and urban designers have to play in the design of safer cities and towns. City planners and urban designers can play a role in the creation of safer environments, by being aware of and employing the principles of crime prevention through environmental design. These principles and the entire approach, can be incorporated in Community Safety Plans, as part of the broader community development process, i.e. the IDP/ LDO processes, etc. Using their particular professional skills within the built environment, in terms of coordination, design and management, planners and designers can contribute to crime prevention in a pro-active and creative way. This will not only assist in addressing crime and the opportunities for it, but also in reducing the fear of crime in our cities and towns.